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Philo's sassy catwalk debut proves a winner

Thu, Oct 11, 2001, 01:00

FRANCESCA FEARON

From the moment the first outfit, a white scallop-edged trouser suit, came down the catwalk, it was obvious that Chloe president Ralph Toledano had made the right decision in promoting Phoebe Philo. As Stella McCartney's former trusted assistant, Phoebe was picked to succeed her as the new creative director of Chloe.

Her debut collection in Paris yesterday was a winner. White dresses with flounced broderie anglaise hems, trousers that carressed the hips with lace inserts and jackets that buttoned down the outside of the sleeve evoked memories of Chloe in its 1970s heyday. "I was inspired by what Karl Lagerfeld, who was one of Chloe's previous designers did in the '70s. I wanted to capture the fluidity and energy of the time," Philo said after the show.

She retained the sassyness we have come to expect of Chloe under the tenure of McCartney, but there was a grown-up sophistication in the small-shouldered jackets and romance in the flounced blouses. She chose soft sun-washed colours: tangerine, sand, carmel, chocolate and beige, and bleached prints for her zipped dresses.